Apparatus for assembling radiator elements



Aug 11, 19311.. 0 A. c. WALWORTH 1,813,593

' APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING RADIATOR ELEMENTS Original Filed April 21, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aug, 11, 11931. A. c WALWOR TH 11,813,593

APPARATUS FUR ASSEMBLING RADIATOR ELEMENTS Original Filed April 21, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I flyWNHNHH\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\i\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ j mwwwwmrwm g In 1/ era for" M 62% cwaaqgw Patented Aug. 11, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR C. WALWORTH. OF NEWTON, MASSACH'O'SETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE VULCAN .RADIATOR COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- NECTICUT .APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING RADIATOR ELEMENTS Original application filed April 21, 1928, SerialNo. 271,950. Divided. and this application filed November 20, 1929. Serial No. 408,450.

This invention relates to the manufacture of radiator tubes or similar heat exchange elements 1 of the type comprising a tube having fixed thereon in spaced parallel rela- 'tion a series of perforated plates constituting heat radiating or absorbing fins or flanges. More particular the lIlVBLl'JOIl relates to the assembly of the fins 0r plates on the tube of such an element in proper spaced parallel position and their retention in such position until they are secured to the tube and is a division of my co-pending applica-, tion, Serial No. 271,950, filed April 21, 1928. The invention has for its object to provide an apparatus whereby these operations may be conveniently, efliciently' and economically performed in the commercial quantity production of elements of this character with a minimum amount of manual labor and i skilled attention, and without the necessity of, employing spacing projections on the plates or permanent spacing sleeves on the tubes, such as, inmany instances, have heretofore been required.

The more particular objects of the invention, together with means whereby the latter may be carried into efiect, will best be understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof 111mtrated in the accompanying drawings. It

will be understood however that the particular constructions and arrangements described and shown have been chosen for pur-- poses of exemplification merely, and that the invention, as defined by the claims hereunto appended, may be otherwise embodied without departure from the spirit and scope thereof.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary and somewhat diagrammatic side elevation, partly in section, of an apparatus embodying the invention and operating in accordance therewith.

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one of the interchangeable spacer containers.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail perspective view of one of the fins or plates.

Fig. 4 is a face view of one of the spacers.

Fig. 5 is an end view thereof partially broken away. a

11 on the shaft 20. The

Fig. 6 is a detail section on line 6-6,

Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tube with the fins and spacers thereon illustrating the expansion of the tube.

ig. 8 is a similar view of the fully ex- 7 As shown in 1, the apparatus includes 1 a punch press for stamping out perforated fins or plates 15, which may be of the flat form shownin Fig. 3, without spacing projections or flanges but with a central perforation 15a. Said punch press may comprise a lower die 16 carried by a suitable I support or pedestal 14 and a cooperating punch or upper die 17 carried by a ram 18 which is operated by an eccentric 19 carried by a driving shaft 20gto which power may be applied in any suitable manner. Within the punch 17 may be provided a second inner punch 13 cooperating with a die opening 12 in the pedestal 14 to form the openings 15a, said punch 13 being operated through suitable connections by a cam punch mechanism for forming or blanking out. the plates or fins is not shown in detail as such mechanism is well known in the art, specifically forms no part of the present invention, and may be of any form and arrangement suitable for the purpose described.

The lower die 16 is slotted to receive a are fed by the slide 21 in succession into a chute 24.

Mounted on a suitable support 25 adjacent the pedestal 14 is a supply container 26 for a plurality of spacers 27 disposed in superposed relation therein and adapted to be fed in succession therefrom into a chute 28 by a reciprocating feed slide 29 o erated b a cam 30 which is driven by a elt or cli ain 31 from a second pulley or sprocket on the shaft 20. The operating connections, including the belts or chains 23 and 31 and the cams 22 and 30, are so arranged as to cause the plates 15 and spacers 27 to be fed into the chutes 24 and 28 respectively in alternation.

The plates and spacers thus alternately fed through the chutes 24 and 28 are re,- ceived in superposed relation in a second or receiving container 26 substantially similar end of the container, the fourth side of said container and the opposite end being open, and the end wall 35 having a notch 37 extending inwardly from the edge of said wall adjacent said open side to approximately the center thereof.

The receiving container 26 is suitably suppoilited, as upon a base 38, in a posit1on to receive the plates and spacers from the chutes 24 and 28, it being understood that said container is supported with its open end uppermost. If desired, the base 38 may be arranged also to support a tube 39, said tube bein disposed in upright position axially o the container 26, extending through the notch 37 in the bottom end 35 of the latter, and being provided with a detachable pointed guide tip 40 to facilitate the feeding of the perforated plates thereover. The spacers are formed with open notches 44 and are preferably fed laterally upon the tube so as to cause the notches to embrace the tube. In some instances, if preferred, the plates and spacers may be fed into the otherwise empty container, and the tube thereafter inserted through the notch 37 in the container and the perforations 15a and notches 44 of'the alternating plates and spacers .of the set or stack so assembled, instead of assembling said set or stack upon the tube.

As shown, suitable jarring mechanism 41 detachably connected with an ear 42 on the receiving container 26 and actuated b a belt 43 from a third pulley on the sha t 20 is.

provided to insure the settling of the separate plates and spacers into propersuper posed relation in the container 26.

In order to insure the delivery of plates and spacers in alternation, and the consequent alternate arrangement of the plates and spacers in the resulting set or stack, the delivery of the spacers is preferably controlled by the delivery of the plates. As shown, the chute 28 is provided, adjacent its delivery end, withan oscillating escapement device 45 of any suitable or wellknown,

form adapted at each oscillation to release' said last namedarm o the feeler, depresses the latter and thereby actuates the escapement member 45 to release one spacer from the end of the chute 28. Should the deliver of the plates be in any-manner interrupte as by the. failure to supply stock to the blanking-out mechanism, the escapement mechanism will not be operated, and no spacer will be deliveredvfrom the chute 28, the spacers fed from the supply container, 26 by the feed slide 29 merely accumulating in said chute. a

The spacers 27 are of expansible and collapsible form, preferably within variable limits, to vary'their effective maximum and minimum thickness. As shown in. Figs. 4 to 6, each spacer comprises a pair of parallel plates 49 connected by relatively movable wedge members 50 and 51, the wedge the feed slide 21 into the chute 24, said ate, in passing over members 5'0 being rigidly secured to or projecting from between the plates, prefer-j ably at the side of the spacer opposite the notch 44.

The separation of the plates 49 is controlled by limitin devices connecting said plates, four of sal devices being preferably employed, and each comprising two adjustably telescoping members 59 and 60 in threadin the outer faces of the plates. The separation of the plates, and consequently the effective maximum thickness of the spacer,

is limited by the seating of the heads 61 in the bottoms of the recesses 62 and is determined by the length of the limiting devices. When the spacer 'is collapsed, the heads 61 move outwardly in the recesses 62 12f) ed engagement with one another and having heads 61 received in countersunk recesses 62 v until their outer faces are fluslr with the outer faces of the plates 49, which determines the efi'ective minimum thickness of The spacers 27 are received in each con-.

tainer 26 with their several operatin members 58 in alinement and projecting t rough the slot 34 in the container, this relative arrangement being preserved in the transfer of the spacers from the supply container to the receiving containing, whereby all of said operating members may be actuated simultaneously, as hereinafter further explained, to expand or collapse all of the spacers in the container in unison. The spacers are held in the supply container in their expanded condition and are transferred therefrom into the receiving container in this condition, whereby the spacing of the plates or fins is determined by the adjusted effective maximum thickness of the spacers.

When a complete set or stack of alternate plates and spacers has been built up in the receiving container, as above described, said receiving container, with said plates or spacers therein, together with the tube 39 (which, as above explained, may have been placed initially in the container or may have been inserted after the formation of the set or stack of plates and spacers), is removed from the support 38 and placed, with its slotted side 33 downward and its open side upward, on a suitable table 63 (Fig. 7) having'agroove or slot 64 to receive the alined operating members 58. The container may then be secured against longitudinal movement by means of clamps 65 secured to the table, and the tube 39 expanded to fix the fins or lates thereon in the spaced relation in which they are held by the spacers. This may conveniently be done by forcing an expander 66 through the tube, as more fully explained in the Bergstrom Patent No. 1,646,384, dated October 25, 1927, or otherwise as may be preferred.

After the fins or plates have been secured to the tube by whatsoever means may be employed for this purpose, the clamps 65 are released and the members 58 of the several spacers operated to collapse all of said spacers in unison. This, in the apparatus shown, may conveniently be done'by a lateral movement of the container on the table 63, whereby engagement of said members.

with one wall of the slot 64 causes them to be moved from the osition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9 into t e position shown in full lines therein. As shown most clearly in Fig. 8, the collapse of the spacers releases them from the plates 15, so that said spacers and plates may be withdrawn from between one another by a relative lateral movement, as by lifting the tubes 39 with the plates fixed thereon from the container 26 through the open side of the latter, as shown in Fig. 10, the notch 37 in the container and the notches 44 in the spacers permitting this movement.

The spacers, which remain in the container after the tube with its attached plates hasbeen lifted therefrom, are then expanded in unison, as bya lateral movement of the container on the table 63 from the position indicated in full lines in Fig. 9 to that indicated in dotted lines thereinyand the container with the expanded spacers therein thereafter placed in position in the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 to serve as a supply container from which the spacers are fed in building up another set or stack of'alternate spacers and plates, as already described. In this Way each of the interchangeable containers is used alternately as a receiving container to receive spacers from a suppl container and, after being filled with plates and spacers, and after the plates have been withdrawn, as a supply container to replacethe former supply container when the latter has been emptied of spacers, said emptied. container being then placed in position to serve as a receiving container.

"1 Having thus described my invention, I claim:

' 1. An apparatus for assembling perforated fins or plates in spaced relation on a radiator tube or the like, said apparatus comprising, in combination, means for feeding a succession of plates, separate means for feeding a succession of separate spacers, means for receiving said plates and spacers in superposed relation, and positive operating connections for said several feeding means adapted to cause said plates and spacers to be fed in alternation.

2. An apparatus for assembling perforated fins or plates in spaced relation on a radiator tube or the like, said apparatus comprising, in combination, mechanism for stamping out said plates and feeding them in succession, separate means for feeding a succession of separate spacers, means or receiving said plates and spacers in superposed relation, and positive operating connections for said several feeding means adapted to cause said plates and spacers to be fed in alternation.

3. An apparatus for assembling perforated fins or plates in spaced relation on a radiator tube or the like, said apparatus comradiator tube or the like, said apparatus comprising, in combination, means for supporting a tube in upright position, means for feedlng a succession of plates onto said tube separate means for feeding a succession'of spacers onto said tube, and positive operating connections for said several feeding means adapted to cause said plates and spacers to be fed in alternation.

- 5. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, means for feeding a succession of plates, means controlled by the delivery of successive plates by said feeding means for delivering an equal number of spacers in alternation with said .plates, and means for receiving said plates and spacers in superposed relation.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, means for feeding a succession of plates, means for feeding a succession of spacers, means for receiving said plates and spacers in superposed alternating relation, and means controlled by the delivery of plates by said plate feeding means for controlling the delivery of spacers by said spacer feeding means, whereby delivery of plates and spacers in alternation 'is insured.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, incombination, means for feeding a succession of plates, a chute through which said plates are delivered, a second chute for delivering spacers, an escapement mecha nism for controlling the delivery of spacers singly from said second chute, a feeler in said first named. chute actuated by the pasfee mg said spacers from said container and delivering themsingly in' alternation with said plates, and a second container similar to and interchangeable with said first-named container for receiving said plates and spac-' ers in superposed relation.

9. In an apparatus for assembling perforated fins or plates in spaced relation on 9.

radiator tube or the like, the combination with mechanism for feeding a succession of plates and notched spacers in alternation, of a container arranged to receive said plates and spacers in superposed relation, said container having an open side through which said plates can be withdrawn laterally from between said spacers by a tube passing through the perforations therein and itself removable laterally from the notches in said spacers.

10. In an apparatus for assembling perforated fins or plates in spaced relation on a radiator tube or the like, the combination with mechanism for feeding a succession of plates and notched collapsible spacers in alternation, of a container arranged to receive said plates and spacers in superposed relation, said container having an open side through which saidplates can be withdrawn laterally from between said spacers'by a tube passing through the perforations therein and itself removable laterally from the notches in said spacers, said spacers having collapsing means accessible from the exterior of said container.

11. In an apparatus for assembling fins or plates in spaced relation on a radiator tube or the l ke, the combination with a plurality of expansible and, collapsible spacers each having a projecting member operable to expand and collapse the same, of a container in which said spacers are received in superposed relation, said container having a slot through which the projecting members of the several spacers extend in alined relation and in which they are oper able.

12. In an apparatus for assembling fins or plates in spaced relation on a radiator tube or the like, the combination with a plurality of expansible and collapsible spacers each having a projecting memberoperable to ex and and collapse the same, of a container 1n which said spacers are received in superposed relation, said container having a slot through which the projecting members of the several spacers extend 1n" alined relation and in which they are oper-' able, and means engageable with said projecting membersfor expanding and collaps- 1ng all of said spacers in unison.

13. In an apparatus for assembling fins or plates in spaced relation on a radiator tube or the like, the combination with a plurality of expansible and collapsible spacers each having a projectinig member operable to expand and collapse the same, of a container in which said spacers are received in superposed relation, said container having a slot through which the projecting members of the several spacers extend in alined relation and in which they are operable, and a table on which said container is movably supported, said table having a slot to receive said projecting members, whereby movement of said container on said table 011- erates all of said members to expand or co lapse all of said spacers in unison.

14. A spacer for use in assembling fins or plates in spaced relation on a radiator tube or the like, said spacer comprising a pair of parallel plates, relatively movable wedge members interposed between said plates means for limiting the separation of sai plates, and means including a projecting operating member for relatively moving said wedge members to separate said plates or to permit them to approach each other.

15. A spacer for use in assembling fins or plates in spaced relation on a radiator tube or the like, said spacer comprising a pair of parallel plates, expanding means operable to separate said plates or to permit them to approach each other, and limiting devices connecting said plates for limiting the separation thereof, each of said devices comprising two adjustabl telescoping threaded members having hea s received in countersunk recesses in the outer faces of the respective plates.

In testimon whereof I aflix my signature.

THUR C. WALWORTH. 

